


A Trick of the Mind

by SavannahSlytherin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 23:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19386421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavannahSlytherin/pseuds/SavannahSlytherin
Summary: Draco isn’t sure if he despises Harry Potter or feels something else entirely, but he knows one place he can find out — one thing he’s forced to trust even when he doubts himself.





	A Trick of the Mind

**Author's Note:**

> You can view the art that accompanies this story on my Instagram: @lifeaccordingtodraco.

The sweat on Draco’s neck was finally starting to cool; a shiver chased a cold drop down his spine. His knuckles were white around his Nimbus 2001. The petty ploy for Potter’s attention had served him all too well this time around. The perfect sphere of a golden snitch fit precisely in his other palm, it’s wings still since the moment he’d caught it.

_Slytherin wins._

The cheer from the green decked stands had been deafening. For the first time in what his friends all thought was much too long, they’d beaten Gryffindor. Beaten Harry Potter. But as the drizzle lifted and his housemates crowded the field, Draco had stolen away with the winning snitch. Through the biting air he’d trudged back to the castle, slipping through the empty halls in silence. Most everyone was still down by the field, stripping off their gear and hanging up their brooms, preparing for a night of celebration. He assumed his absence had been noticed by now, but celebration seemed hollow to him.

In the dungeons of the castle, in the closet where Professor Snape hoarded ingredients, a revelio charm gave way to a hidden room. The home of a mirror. Nearly a week had gone by since he’d found the invisible entrance by accident while snooping through Snape’s storage. He’d been allowed in, a benefit of being in his Head of House’s favor, but only for a moment to get a vial of dragon liver. It was a roll of potion labels that tipped Draco off, half hidden somehow under the wall. Something so unassuming, and yet Draco was compelled to cast, to look closer. Drawn to the spot where the room suddenly disappeared. A spot he had not since returned to, despite knowing what lie within. But in the days leading up to this moment Draco’s curiosity had turned to desperation.

In Draco’s first year rumor had spread like fire, nearly every one about The Boy Who Lived. Among the more quiet was that Potter, lucky bastard that he was, had found the Mirror of Erised. Lucius’ annoyance had proven sharp, his words cutting as he admonished his son.

_Find that mirror, Draco. I want that mirror. Make me proud, Draco. Prove yourself. You’d have found it already if you’d managed to win the boy’s favor._

He wondered what his father would say now, as he stood before the reflecting glass.

_Four years too late, Draco._

He pushed back the hood of his coat, damp blond hair sticking to his forehead. The weight of the Nimbus was suddenly too much for him, and as he let it slip to the floor he heaved a great sigh. He hadn’t looked yet. He’d been distracted, he told himself, too busy with classwork and quidditch practice. But in truth it was fear that had kept him away. He suspected what he’d see in the mirror, and if indeed it was as he imagined the reality of his situation would set in. He’d no longer be able to pretend that his mind played tricks on him.

He pictured Potter’s face on the field. While the rest of the Gryffindor team had been devastated, their heads drooping as they pushed through green clad students, Potter had waited. Had nodded. Had offered Draco a half hearted smile. A smile that meant nothing more than _good game,_ Draco was certain. Still, his lungs had filled with burdened air, a breath he hadn’t quite released. His mind swirled, obsessing over every subtlety. Unable to trust himself, to believe himself, he had to know.

Draco’s eyes met the Mirror of Erised head on. For a moment he felt deflated, his appearance didn’t seem to change— he still wore is quidditch clothes, minus his robe. And then he watched himself kneel, hand extended. He still held the snitch. Harry Potter stood beside him, looking down on this, Draco’s peace offering. Emerald eyes met his own, and Harry reached for the golden orb. Their fingers grazed, touched, and intertwined until the only space between them belonged to the snitch, the only other thing Draco sought, besides Harry.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Notes and suggestions are forever welcome.


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